Meet the 2023 PCJ in the Bay Fellows

Edward Apraku
Edward Apraku is a second-year PhD candidate in environmental engineering, researching the remediation of polluted water using various electrochemical methods. This summer, he worked with Belle Haven Action to identify the environmental injustices that the community faces, examine ways to highlight the inequities in Menlo Park, and research investment strategies to move towards remediation and equity.

Shefali Doshi
Shefali Doshi is a rising junior studying international relations and data science. She is very passionate about human rights and sustainability, especially with regard to promoting educational equity and environmental justice. Shefali worked with Belle Haven Action in Menlo Park to help improve residential air quality and accessibility of resources for residents of all ages and engage directly with community members to research and implement meaningful climate solutions.

Henry Lai
Henry Lai (he/him) is a senior in earth systems with a focus on land systems and community-environment interactions. He worked with Climate Resilient Communities to assist with the implementation of community-led vulnerability assessments in the communities of Belle Haven and North Fair Oaks and to learn about how to help communities and individuals find agency in their response and adaptation to climate change.

Brydie Sigg
Brydie Sigg is a rising junior majoring in Earth Systems with a concentration in Human Environmental Systems. She joined Climate Resilient Communities this summer, focusing on community and youth education projects centered around climate change and environmental justice to offer young individuals avenues to become environmental advocates.

Tala Parker
Tala Parker is completing her master’s in sustainability science and practice. She has a bachelor’s in comparative studies in race and ethnicity and a minor in psychology from Stanford. She specializes in the intersection of sustainability and equity and is passionate about environmental justice. This summer, Tala researched Chevron’s use of alternative fuels through Communities for a Better Environment to learn more about issues related to just transitions.

Natchaya Pichetsatha
Natchaya Pichetsatha (she/they) is graduating from Stanford Law School with a master of laws in environmental law and policy. Natchaya joined Communities for a Better Environment to work on the advancement of renewable energy beneficial to environmental justice communities and develop political education and mobilization materials to advance campaigns for a just transition in Richmond in the context of global environmental and climate justice movements. 

Anoushka Raj
Anoushka Raj is a first-year student in the master's program for civil and environmental engineering at Stanford. Her specialization is in human health and environment and process engineering. At the the North Fair Oaks Community Alliance, she worked on community-based environmental justice in unincorporated areas and helped with community outreach.

Aiyana Washington
Aiyana Washington is a third-year undergraduate studying earth systems with a minor in theater and performance studies. Her work lies at the intersection of storytelling and environmental justice. Aiyana supported the work of North Fair Oaks Community Alliance to build resilience to climate threats and developing strategies for civic engagement, using her passion for communication to engage deeply in grassroots work. 

Valeria Vega Yanez
Valeria Vega Yanez is a junior majoring in earth systems in the biosphere track. She developed and translated education content about environmental justice with Nuestra Casa, engaging with communities outside of Stanford's campus. This internship was especially meaningful to Valeria as she hopes to integrate environmental justice tenants into her future work within the field of disease ecology. 

Hannah Melville-Rea
Hannah Melville-Rea is a first-year PhD student at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, pursuing an interdisciplinary degree in environment and resources. Hannah collaborated with OneShoreline to evaluate flood insurance needs in San Mateo County and explore the potential for community-based flood insurance programs.

Alan Cuevas
Alan Cuevas is a master’s student in the earth systems program, primarily focusing on land and resource management strategies for climate adaptation. He tackled environmental justice issues in predominantly low-income communities in South San Francisco with Rise South City, assisting with a campaign to increase air quality monitors in homes and support the development of a South San Francisco climate change community team.

Leanna Lewis
Leanna Lewis is graduating from Stanford with a bachelor's degree in design, with a focus in human behavior and multi-stakeholder research, and an additional focus in climate and environment. She helped create more sustainable and equitable communities in South San Francisco with Rise South City by identifying climate justice issues and communicating them to members of the community, installing air quality monitors in under-resourced homes, and designing new usable community spaces.

Mikayla Tillery
Mikayla Tillery is a rising junior pursuing a double major in urban studies and Black studies. She hopes to use her academic and professional career to make material differences for those disadvantaged by oppressive systems like neighborhood segregation and toxic stewardship. At the Greenlining Institute, she applied research skills to build awareness of racial and social-economic disparities within energy and housing policy.

Annie Obernoster
Annie Obernoster is graduating with a master’s in Latin American studies from the ecology, environment, and sustainability track. Annie worked with Valley Verde, where they helped develop a curriculum that supports children and parents in building their own gardens and increase the visibility of Valley Verde’s composting program.

Calista Triantis
Calista Triantis is a senior majoring in psychology with a minor in environmental justice through the earth systems program. As she has come to know her home in the Bay Area, she’s consistently struck by the strength of local communities to organize against the disproportionate impacts of climate change. This summer, she worked with Valley Verde, a community-based food system in San Jose.